Airplane-lifting device



w. LLCOQPER AIRPLANE LIJFTING DEVICE Feb. 10, 1925.

Filed July 22, 1924 2 SheCS-Shee;` 1l

Feb. 1o, 1925.V 1,525,852 wv. L. COoE- T-zl v y AIRPLA'NE LIFTINCTv Dvlc Filed July 22, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2/ 2f, if

Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

Nrn-:D STATES WARREN L. COOPER, 'OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

AIRPLAN'E-LIFTING DEVIC.

Application led .Tilly 22, 1924. Serial N0.'727,464.

T all whom t may con-cern:

Be it known that I, WARREN L.v COOPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo, State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Airplane-Lifting Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andA exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to airplane lifting devices, and has for its object to provide a device of this character whereby an airplane will be lifted vertically sufliciently high for it to clear uneven ground, trees or buildings until it reaches a position where it may start forwardly under its forward driving mechanism.

with revolving radially disposed wings formed from frames having poivoted'shutters and driving connections etween said revolving wings and the engine of the` airplane, whereby said wings may be revolved for moving the airplane vertically during a launching operation or allowing the airplane to move downwardly vertically during p a lowering operation. Also to provide clutch means whereby said wings and their driving connections may bev disconnected from the engine when not in use, and the horizontally disposed wings in combination with the plane of the airplane utilized as 35 planes.

A further Objectis to provide the wings with pivoted 'shutters linked together and cam means controllable from within the airplane andV cooperating with the links of 40 the pivoted shutters, whereby during the rotation of the wings, said shutters will be feathered on their upward movement, thereby allowing the wings, when on their downward movement to exert a lifting power.

Also to pivotally mount the cams whereby upon rotative adjustment thereof the pivoted vanes of the wings may be o ened when the wings are in different radia position.

A further object `isto provide the cam slots in which rollers carried. by control levers are mounted and which control levers are pivotally connected to-y the vanes of the wings and thecams utilized for simultaneously varying or controlling the vanes of all of the wings.

Afurther object is to provide the airplane 1 means, structural parts of the airplane being ,l propeller A further objectis to provide pawl and ratchet means for preventing retrograde rotation of the wings. c

A further object is to provide the vane controlcam with a sleeve mounted in a brace of the airplane and in which sleeve is rotatably mounted the shaft of the wings. Also to provide the sleeve with a gear, with which gear means cooperates for adjusting the position of the cam. i l,

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, itbein'g understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. Y f A In the drawing Figure l is a side elevation of the airplane showing the lifting wings applied thereto.

Figure' 2 is a top plan view of the airplane.

Figure 3 is front elevation of the airplane.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view on an enlarged scale through the vertical braces at one side of the airplane, a control cam and control gears for the cam and wings.

Fi ure 5 `is a View in elevation of the inside of one of the control cams, showing the? vane lever rollers disposed therein.

Figure 6 is a rear elevation of the cam controlling means and `the wing rotating eliminated to better illustrate the shafting and gear connections.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates a conventional form of fuselage of an airplane and 2 an engine disposed therein; Disposed above thejengine is a propeller drive shaft 3, on which a conventional form of propeller`I is mounted. Propeller drive shaft 3 is driven from theengine shaft 5 by means of a sprocket chain 6 which eX- tends over sprockets 7 and 8 respectively carried bythe engine drive shaft 5 and the drive shaft 3, therefore it will be seen that the propeller 4 will propel the airplane forwardly, and it is to be understood that any kind lof propeller controlling means may be provided whereby said propeller may be started and stopped as desired, and for purposes of illustration a conventional form of clutch 9 is shown, which 110 may be` controlled through the medium of a rod 10 or `in any other suitable manner. During the forward movement of the airplane under the influence of thepropeller 4,--

the airplane is lsupported by the plane 11 carried by the. upper ends of the vertically disposed struts 12 in combination with means hereinafter set forth.4

The engine drive shaft 5 extends rear-` inner ends of which shafts are provided with bevelled gears 17, which mesh with the bevelled gear 15 when the clutch members l 13I and 14 are in interengagement, consequently the shafts 16 are rotated in opposite direction. Vertical'ly disposed androtatably mounted in bearings carried by the rear struts 12 are shafts 18, the lower ends of-v which are provided with bevelled gears 19.

whichmesh with bevelled gears 20 carried by the outer ends of the shafts 16, therefore it will be seen that when the shafts 16 are rotated simultaneously, the shafts 18 will also rotate and simultaneouslyimpart rotation to the lifting wing drive shafts 21 in the direction of the arrows a, by means of the gears 21a and 18, thereby rotating lthe lifting wings in the same direction.' Shafts 21 have one of their ends rotatably mounted -in bearings 23 of the rear struts 12 and their] other ends rotatably mounted in the sleeve 24 o'f a rotatable cam 25 and which sleeve 24 is rotatably mounted in a' bearing 26 of each forward strut 12, therefore it will'be seen that the cam 25 can be rotated during the rotation of the wings 22, and the shaft 21 on which the wings are mounted. The

wings 22 are formed from spaced arms 27, and between which arms are pivotally -mounte-d vanes v28. During -the rotation of the wings 22 the vanes 28 `uponvthe upward movement of the wings are opened to positions where they will feather and consequently the resistance on the wings will be reduced to a. minimum when they are moving in a nonlifting direction. However upon a downward movement ofthe wings,

at which time the full lifting efficiency of the wingsis necessary, the vanes 28 are moved to closed positions as clearly shown in Figure 3, thereby insuring-a maximum lifting action on the airplane as a whole.

The wings 22 are primarily designed for raising the airplane vertically from the ground to an elevation sufficiently high to clear uneven ground, trees or obstructions. and when at sufficient elevation the wings, in combination with the wings 11 form supportingl planes for the airplane as a 'whole as it moved `forwardly under the influence of the propeller 4, therefore it will beseen that the wings 22 are only used as a lifting means during starting and possiblygrthe landing of the device, and when th'efdtWicel is in Hight under lthe influencel ofthe propeller 4, the wings do not rotate, and Ythe` wings 22 which project beyond the" side lines of the airplane in a horizontalposition formA additional supporting'planes for the airplane during its forward flight. 'Toprei vent retrograderotation of the' wings 22,

the arms 27 are provided with-ratchets 29,

with which ratchets pawls 30 co'op`eratevfo'r holdingthe wings aga-inst rotation, especial ly when the outwardly extending wings 22 are stoppedand,` will be used as planes duringthe forward movement oftheairplane. ,85

anes 28 areprovided lwith arms 31 which are 'pivotally connected to linksv 32, and

which links have one'of theirends provided with arms on which arms angularly disposed rollers 34am/mounted, "The rollers 34 extend into a pear shaped slot 35` therefore it will be'seen thatwhen the cam 2.5 isrotated the pearshaped camslot-35 may be positioned in' positions` where thel vanes 28 will be openedto different angles in1relati0n"95g to the 4arms 27 of the wings 22,'v consequently the operator can control the fvanes as desired during the 'verti cal movement of chef-airplane. lt .will-also be seen that the cam slots 35 may be positioned in positionswhere theplanes'will feather, on the upward movement of the wings. and close on the downward movement of the wings. Securedto', l the forward end-s `of the cam sleeve 24 are worm gears36, and 'with which'worm gears vertically.disposed'worms 37 engage. 4The shafts 38 supported bythe forward struts., 12 ofthe machine(l Shafts`38 extend downwardly and have their lower end provided 4 110 with bevelled gears 39, with "which bevelled gears 39. hevelled gears 40 mesh. The bev'- elled gears 40 are carried by rearwardly extending shafts 41at opposite sides of the machine and extend rearwardlyfto positions opposite the cock-pit 42 df the fuselage 1. Extending outwardly from opposite sides of the fuselage 1 adjacent the cock pit 42. are shafts 43. the outer ends of which areprovided with worms 44, which mesh-with'v wormy gears 45 carried by the'rearc'ends of the shafts 41, therefore it will be seen that when the operator desires to changlfe'thepo--` sitionsof the vane control cams, it is only necessary for him to grasp the hand'wheels 46 carried by the shafts 43 and rotate the same. which action will impart rotati' n to the shafts 41' and 38, and through th mef` dium of the worms 37 and worm gears 36 the cams 25 will be simultaneously rotated,

therefore it will be seen' that the operator 105 worms 37 are carriedlbygvertically. disposed of the machine may control the angular position of the vanes in relation to the wing arms at all times.

From the above it will be seen that means lthe operator through gear and shaft connections with the `crank shaft of the engine within the fuselage. It will also be seen that clutch means is provided whereby the wing rotating mechanism may be easily and quickly thrown into and out of cooperative relation with the engine drive shaft.

The invention havlng been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is:-

1. The combination with an airplane, an engine carried by said airplane, a propeller for driving said airplane, said engine having driving connections with the propeller, of means for raising said airplane vertically, said means comprising horizontally disposed shafts carried by said airplane, radially disposed wings carried by said shafts, driving connections between the shafts and the engine and means for preventing retrograde rotation of said shafts.

2. The combination .with an airplane, an

engine carried b said"airplane,a propeller for. driving sai airplane, driving connections between the engine and the propeller,

of means for raising said airplane vertically, said means comprislng horizontally disposed shafts carried'by the airplane at opposite sides thereof, radially disposed wings carried by' said shafts, shaft and ear means whereby said wing shafts may e simultaneously rotated, and pawl and ratchet means cooperating with the shaft and ,forming means for preventing retrograde rotation of the' shafts and maintaining the wings in horizontal and vertical ositions.

3. The combination w1th an airplane having an engine, of means for moving said airplane din vertical movement, said means comprising shafts rotatably mounted in bearings of the airplane, radially disposed wings carried by said shafts, pivoted vanescarried by said wings, a rotatable sleeve on the end of each of said shafts, a cam member carried by said sleeves, vane controlling means carried bythe vanes and cooperating with the cam member, means for driving said shafts from the engine, gear means for rotating said shafts and cam members inde- ,pendent of each other, and means cooperating with the rotatable shafts for preventing retrograde movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

l WARREN L. COOPER. Witnesses:

G. L. Coon-nn, CLARA COOPER. 

